2013 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
コンピューターを用いた対面インタラクションにおける英語学習者の会話行動
| Project/Area Number |
24720250
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| Research Institution | Saitama University |
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Principal Investigator |
クルーグ ネイサンポール 埼玉大学, 英語教育開発センター, 助教 (40549995)
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| Keywords | CMC / 会話分析 / 学習者の会話 / 第二言語学習 / 会話行動 |
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| Research Abstract |
This project investigates ‘conversation-for-learning’ (Kasper 2004) (and ‘non-formal institutional interaction’ (Hauser, 2008)), specifically concerning pairs of interactants in video-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) environments.
As part of that focus, contributory studies were completed in 2013, concerning group L2 face-to-face conversation-for-learning. These studies revealed: (a) L2 learners can manage their own interactions in quite sophisticated ways, despite communication difficulties or linguistic ability 'problems;' and (b) conversation rooms (and similar ‘semi-formal’ settings outside of the formal language classroom) are important language practice environments, deserving closer scrutiny.
A major focus over the project’s second year included microanalysis of cues speakers utilise to divide and move through the series of opening sequences that lead to the ‘anchor point’ (Schegloff, 1968, 1986) in CMC-based conversation-for-learning. The series of sequences can be summarised as: 1. “Summons-Answer”; 2. “Greeting”; 3. “Self-introduction”; 4. “Nice to meet you”. The exchange of names often involve extended repair sequences due to difficulties for the participants associated with “foreign” names, and with idiosyncrasies of the CMC environment. Just as Schegloff (1986) notes with reference to telephone conversations, despite the seemingly routine nature of opening a conversation, it rarely happens effortlessly. This finding confirms that participants often go to great lengths to co-construct the opening and arrive at the ‘anchor point’.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
Over the course of the project's second year, the corpus was expanded with the collection of additional data (as the availability of volunteer pairs arose). Technical problems prevented collection in some cases, unfortunately. Thus the second year of the project focused on detailed transcription and micro analyses (of the data thus far collected).
Having gathered a satisfactory (but preliminary) corpus over the first two years of this project, the third year of the project may see additional data collection if volunteers present themselves and if technical difficulties can be overcome. A larger corpus would support the verification and validity of findings. However, data collection is a time consuming process. As the project is nearing its final stage, the focus will mainly be on continued detailed analysis and, more specifically, the reporting of findings to the academic community through conference participation, data session participation and the preparation of papers.
Time also needs to be taken to consider the insights of the domestic and international data-session input from 2013. Participation in an additional number of data sessions and presenting findings formally through conference presentations in the upcoming year would greatly assist further analysis of the data.
This research project is transitioning to the third stage―that is, continued data analysis and an increased focus on reporting findings.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
From a conversation analytic (CA) perspective, this project will describe computer-mediated conversation-for-learning. Micro analysis of the data will continue.
Especially during this the final year, the Principal Investigator will participate in the broader academic community through presenting research findings to peers at international and domestic conferences for review, refinement and further development.
Previous studies have identified a core of four sequences, typical when opening telephone conversations (Sacks, 1975; Schegloff, 1979, 1986). Furthermore, Wong (2007) examines learners’ practices in telephone conversations. However, although similar to telephone calls in many regards, L2 video-based CMC openings in pedagogical contexts have yet to be explored. Thus, this project will continue the work of the previous year: examination of L2-based CMC ‘opening sequences’ and the verbal and non-verbal signals deployed to negotiate a path from one sequence to the next (e.g., non-verbal cues, gestures and use of written (typed) text).
The final year of the project will see new focal points of interest for analysis, such as the notion of ‘repair’ as a tool for L2 speakers in conversation-for-learning (i.e., ‘repair’ is not simply a device learners use to correct so-called linguistic ‘errors’; it is used in assorted ways for assorted functions by L2 speakers as they communicate, perhaps in as many as 10 ways as Shegloff (2013) recently shows us with reference to L1 speakers).
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| Expenditure Plans for the Next FY Research Funding |
This project relies on volunteer participants, willing to take part in recorded conversations. The number of participants that joined this project in the previous fiscal year was a little smaller than expected. As such, the storage space required to preserve and backup the data was smaller than was anticipated, and hence less storage devices were required to be purchased, than had originally been planned.
The small amount of funds that remains from the previous fiscal year is intended to be used in the upcoming fiscal year for the purchase of necessary items for data storage and management.
Participation in international conferences is also essential during the final year of the project. Other necessary expenses include: professional transcription services (re: basic transcript drafts); an assistant (re: participant organisation and to aide in reviewing transcript accuracy); a portable laptop (for use by assistant and by principal investigator at conference presentations and workshops); a printer capable of dealing with specialized multi fonts and multi paper sizes; and, software version updates of the tools used to capture, edit and analyse the video data (e.g., ScreenFlow v.4).
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[Book] Communication and Computer-based Learning Skills2013
Author(s)
Shawback, M., O'Neill, B., Montoya, S., Weatherford, Y., Clifton, A., Wright, M., Perkins, R., Pals, T. Barber, W., Hail E., Hosbach, J., Krug, N. P., Rates, P.
Total Pages
78 & 112-115
Publisher
Seibido Press
